To keep your business growing, referrals and repeat work are typically your lifeblood—but they’re unpredictable. You still need a reliable way to generate new leads (interested prospects) when that flow slows.
In the post-pandemic years, especially the past two years, you’ve probably found marketing and lead generation much more challenging.
Any of these sound familiar?
- Fewer referrals and repeat projects from your existing relationships (EPCs, GCs, plant owners, engineers, inspectors)
- An underperforming booth at industry conferences and trade shows
- Rising Google and Facebook ad costs, with fewer resulting leads
- Fewer connections from organic search and LinkedIn
In short, marketing is now more challenging. Because conditions have changed.
A few causes (there are many) include cumulative pressures from rising buyer-side caution and longer sales cycles. Privacy-change effects on third‑party tracking. Rising ad costs. And noise, noise, noise everywhere…making it harder to grab prospects’ attention.
So…What Can You Do About It?
The time of ‘gut feel’ and ‘marketing guesses’ has passed. It’s time to stop marketing to “anyone who wants a tank”.
With limited marketing budgets and overly-busy marketing staff, you need to make the most of your marketing resources, and avoid wasting them on low‑likelihood prospects.
Here’s how.
A common (but mistaken) marketing concept is trying to ‘market to everyone’.
I felt this way—once. “By trying to reach the most people I optimize my marketing efforts and dollars…right?”
Actually, no. A strong no.
Because in that ‘everyone’ you’re marketing to are many who don’t want, don’t need, or can’t afford what you’re selling.
Worse, trying to “market to everyone” results in bland, diluted messaging that speaks to no one—especially not to your highest‑value prospects. This approach actually wastes your marketing resources and can repel great prospects.
A Surprisingly Simple, Low-Cost Solution That Works (If You Actually Use It)
To get the most out of your marketing resources, apply this proven approach that successful marketers use to focus their marketing efforts: define, and then market only to your Ideal Customers.
To do this, create an ICP.
An ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) is a detailed written description of the type(s) of companies where your solution delivers the strongest value and will bring you the highest Lifetime Value (LTV)—companies that:
- Have a clear problem you solve
- Can implement your solution effectively
- Have a strong possibility of becoming a customer
- And importantly, can afford it
Note: STI/SPFA companies with multiple product lines may need 2-4 ICPs. Recommended: build your top ICP first; refine it. Then create the others.
To Build an ICP: Analyze Your Best Customers; Pick Your Salespeople’s Brains
- Determine which specific company traits make them your best customers
- Company traits (size, sector, geography, facilities, typical project size/CAPEX)
- Fit and value (margins, repeat work, ease to work with, LTV, deal velocity)
- Buying‑process traits
- Buying process (via EPCs, GCs, or directly)
- Buying committee job titles (CEO, engineering, procurement, safety, finance)
- Project frequency (every year vs. once a decade).
- Describe their key purchase drivers and specific pain points:
- Cost reduction, regulatory risk, schedule risk, energy use, maintenance burden
- Leak/spill avoidance, passing inspections, minimizing downtime, and proving ESG/ environmental compliance
Then, use your ICP to:
- Evaluate and decide on the top 2-4 sectors/markets/industries you’ll pursue, and which to ignore (or archive).
- Build your messaging and content (marketing copy) around the specific pain points and goals of decision-makers in those sectors. Shift from “we build quality tanks” to “we help mid‑size wastewater utilities pass coating inspections and avoid unplanned outages”.
- Build and write to avatars (representative descriptions of decision-makers) so your messaging speaks to and resonates with them, so they feel you ‘get’ them.
- Focus your efforts only on channels where your ICPs can be reached (LinkedIn, specific trade shows, email, etc.).
- Evaluate prospects who show interest (go/no go): are they qualified and really worth engaging?
- Filter RFQs: decide which to pursue, and which will waste your time.
- Omit companies that don’t fit your top criteria or those that consistently award only to mega‑players.
- Build a list of specific companies—EPCs, GCs and owners, by name—to target.
(Incidentally, target your ICP and you will attract peripheral prospects. If they fit your ICP criteria, pursue them.)
To build your ICP, download the free STI-RTM ICP Template (template + examples).
Then, spend 30-35 minutes building it. Keep refining it as necessary.
Then, print it, and use it frequently to determine the highest-value prospects you’ll pursue, while filtering out time- and budget‑wasters.
Good luck!
Join me at the 2026 STI/SPFA Annual Meeting in Clearwater Beach, Florida to learn more practical ways to level-up your marketing.
